Hematology/Oncology Research

Dr. Boxer is nationally and internationally recognized as a scholar in his research in the diagnosis and treatment of neutrophil disorders. He led the first trial to evaluate the treatment of children with chronic neutropenia in the United States . Dr. Boxer is also internationally recognized for his research in granulocyte cell biology and disorders of granulocyte function and number. Dr. Boxer is currently evaluating the role of sphingolipid signaling in terms of the regulation of phagocytosis.

Dr. Campbell's research focuses on the mechanisms of globin switching and in particular, the mechanism by which the locus control region (LCR) directs the transcription of globin genes. His laboratory is exploring the use of transgenic mice harboring the human globin locus. We use mice expressing mutants of the globin genes in order to evaluate the mechanism by which the LCR directs expression of human globin genes in transgenic mice.

Dr. Castle's research focuses on the mechanisms underlying apoptosis in neuroblastoma cells. She is specifically interested in defining the mechanisms by which neuroblastoma cells become resistant to chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

Raymond J. Hutchinson, M.D. (rhutchin@umich.edu)Dr. Hutchinson is the principal investigator overseeing the research activities of the Children's Cancer Group at the University of Michigan; this research group supports clinical trials for the treatment of many pediatric malignancies. He also has clinical research interests in the use of anti-tumor vaccines to treat patients with resistant sarcoma, in the use of radiolabelled MIBG to treat patients with neuroblastoma, and in the use of tumor necrosis factor blockers to prevent graft-vs-host disease after bone marrow/stem cell transplantation. Several clinical protocols are available in these areas. Finally, Dr. Hutchinson is a participant in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study, an organization funded by the National Institutes of Health to investigate long-term outcomes of children and adolescents surviving their cancers.

Dr. Lawlor's research focuses on studies of Ewing sarcoma, a very aggressive bone and soft tissue tumor that primarily affects children, adolescents and young adults. She is pursuing studies with stem cells in order to understand how the EWS-FLI1 oncogene can turn normal stem cells into Ewing sarcoma cells. In addition, her lab studies the contribution of epigenetic deregulation to the pathogenesis of cancer. Specifically, they are elucidating the contribution of polycomb gene deregulation in the origin and progression of Ewing sarcoma and determining how altered expression of the polycomb protein BMI-1 affects response to therapeutic agents. By evaluating the similarities and differences between normal stem cell development and cancer, the Lawlor lab is gaining insights into both the origins of pediatric sarcomas and the biology of cancer stem cells. Dr. Lawlor and Dr. Rajan Mody are co-directors of the Childhood Cancer Program.

John Levine, M.D. (jelevine@umich.edu)Dr. Levine's research focuses on the safety and effectiveness of cellular immunotherapy. He is attempting to correlate clinical events like remission or graft-versus-host disease with the timing and tempo of changes in plasma levels of inflammatory cytokines. The goal is to develop timed interventions that block complications while permitting anti-leukemia effects. Dr. Levine is the elected Scientific Vice Chair of the Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Consortium.

Dr. Pipe's research has focused on several aspects of the structure and function of coagulation factor VIII in an effort to generate a form of recombinant factor VIII with either increased specific activity or longer half-life. He has also investigated the factor VIII secretion pathway, characterizing some of the molecular interactions of factor VIII with protein chaperones within the endoplasmic reticulum. Insights in this area could lead to interventions that will improve the efficiency of factor VIII secretion for manufacturing and gene therapy applications.

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